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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: cell · pop · cabinet · snap · deal · capital

  1. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. snap — to click
  3. capital — money
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. cell — a phone
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — soda
  16. capital — a city
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. snap — to snap out of it

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com